


Paper Cranes

by anonymouse_fiction



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Boys In Love, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Post-Canon, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 11:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6467989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymouse_fiction/pseuds/anonymouse_fiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things have gotten boring in Inaba, now that Souji is away, and Yosuke is missing his dear partner... but maybe they'll see each other soon?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paper Cranes

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, just to clear up any potential confusion: Seta Souji is the same person (technically) as Narukami Yu. I just call him Souji because that's how I knew him originally. This fic was also written around the Valentine's Day season, so pardon some exceptionally sappy moments. Please enjoy!

~The smallest things can make the biggest difference.~

_No new messages_

     Yosuke glared at the little screen on his phone. He knew that he shouldn’t be mad at the phone; it was only the messenger, after all. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t pissed that his partner was basically ignoring him at this point. He shut his phone, wincing a bit at the unintentionally sharp clack, and heaved a frustrated sigh.

“Hey, you okay Yosuke-senpai?” Kanji asked as he looked up from the homework assignment he was going over with Naoto.

“Yeah, I just…”

“Are worried and frustrated.” Naoto finished for him, not even bothering to look up. Yosuke shot her a mild glare.

“Am not. And quit doin’ that!”

“Doing what, exactly?”

“… getting in my head so easily.” He grumbled as he crossed his arms with a pout. Naoto chuckled a bit.

“It’s not that hard, you know. You’ve been sighing and checking your phone habitually for the past few hours now.” Kanji gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Hey, man. We all miss him. There ain’t nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, well you don’t miss him the way I do, alright?” he grouched, a blush crossing his cheeks. Naoto roller her eyes.

“You are aware of the fact that he’s at the top of his class, right? Not to mention that he’s taken up a job?” Yosuke sighed.

“I got that memo! I’m the one that told you guys all that in the first place!! But would a quick little ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ be too much to ask?” Kanji smirked.

“Maaaan, you got it bad, Yosuke-senpai.” He muttered. Yosuke shot him a glare.

“Ah shaddup! You’re just as bad with Naoto as I am with Souji!!” he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. Naoto laughed as Kanji went beet red.

“W-well as least I own up to it!!” he shouted back, rising from his seat and getting right in Yosuke’s face.          

       Neither of them was expecting what came next. Before either of them realized it, their foreheads had been smacked together with enough force to make both boys fall back with a cry of pain. An annoyed huff and an amused giggle clued the boys in as to who was responsible.

“Oow~ WHAT THE HELL, CHIE?!” Yosuke yelped, re-directing his glare to settle on her.

“Oh, nothing. I was just trying out a new move. I call it “Obnoxious Boy Buster”. But that’s just the working title.” Yukiko just snorted and tried harder to hide her giggle fit. Kanji shook his head a little bit.

“Damn, senpai. Your head’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“Yeah, tha-HEY!”

“Would you two care to join us? I’ve been feeling a bit outnumbered.” Naoto said with a little smirk, trying not to giggle herself.

“Yup! So how’ve you been?” Chie asked as she took a seat on the other side of Naoto, Yukiko sitting next to Yosuke.

“Fairly well. I decided to visit for a bit, but I hadn’t anticipated becoming a temporary tutor.” She said, giving Kanji a little jab in the ribs. He smirked sheepishly.

“Well, this math shit makes no damn sense. I swear they make half this shit up!” he said, glaring at the paper. Yukiko looked at it with a confused expression.

“Wait… when did that become a standard?” she asked, looking at the rather complicated formulas spread across the page. Chie sighed.

“Man, Yukiko. That happened a couple weeks ago, remember? It just didn’t apply to us since we’re not in that grade anymore.”

      Yosuke listened to his friends as they continued to talk about how school was changing, but was secretly hoping for another person to join in. He knew it wouldn’t happen, but he was still hopeful. He reached back into his pocket and snuck a peek at his phone.

_1 Missed message from Souji_

Yosuke promptly facepalmed.

\-----

“C’mon, c’mon… PICK UP ALREADY!!” Yosuke shouted at his phone. Not only had he missed Souji’s call, but now he couldn’t seem to get ahold of him.

‘He said to call him around this time in the voicemail he left…’ he thought, looking at his phone with a disappointed frown… until it buzzed. Yousuke nearly dropped it in surprise. After a brief game of ‘Don’t drop your phone’, Yosuke had the phone to his ear and had settled back on his bed.

“He lives!” Yosuke said with a laugh. Souji chuckled on the other end of the line, highly amused.

“Yeah. Sorry about not calling this week. I got slammed pretty hard at work.” He said, a small sigh escaping him. Yosuke shook his head.

“But we’re talking now, right?”

“Right. So, how’s things been with you?” he asked softly. Yosuke smirked.

“Ah, same old, same old. Chie’s still being a bitch and Yukiko can’t keep her on a leash because she’s too busy laughing at her antics, Kanji and Naoto are still too adorable together… OH! Speaking of Chie! You’re never gonna believe what she did today!!”

“Did she stuff you in a locker?”

“No… not this time, at least.” Souji laughed a bit at that.

“Good. I don’t want to chew her out over the phone again.” Yosuke smirked.

“But man, she knocked Kanji’s head into mine and it hurt like a BITCH!”

“Pfff. You’re kidding!” Souji asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

“No! She called it the “Obnoxious Boy Buster”. Like seriously, what the fuck?! Does this look like _Trial of the Dragon_ to you?!” Souji was in stitches at this point.

“What were you doing that close in the first place?” he asked, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

“Eh, Kanji doesn’t comprehend personal space when he’s angry.”

“Did you poke the bear?” he asked, tone slightly admonishing.

“Maybe a little bit.” Yosuke said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Souji gave an amused sigh from his end of the line.

“What am I gonna do with you?” he asked, an affectionate tone just audible in his voice. Yosuke blushed.

“Well, when you finally get here, we’re going out!”

“I know, I know. I’ll be here as soon as I can.” He said softly. Yosuke felt his heart flutter, just a bit.

“I miss you, you know…” Souji said, voice distant. Yosuke cocked his head.

“Dude, did you put the phone down? I can barely hear ya!” A bit of rustling told him he had as he listened to Souji readjusting the phone.

 “Yeah. I was getting something.”

“What’cha got, then?” Souji laughed.

“You’re getting to be as nosey as Teddie! But I can’t tell you; it’s a surprise.” He said. Yosuke went to reply, but he could swear he heard a very familiar sound coming from Souji’s end of the line.

“Are… you folding paper cranes right now?” he asked.

“… maybe?” Souji replied. Yousuke could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“You’ve got a problem. You know that, right?” Souji just laughed.

“Yeah, I know. But these are kind of important.” He said affectionately, the soft crinkling of paper being folded accenting his voice. Yosuke just sighed.

“I’m glad you haven’t gone and changed on me.” He said, smirking at the small red and gold crane that Souji had sent him a little while ago.

“Me? Change? Nah…” he said with a laugh. Yosuke laughed too.

“How’s things going with you?” Souji chuckled.

“Well, my grades are slipping a little bit… but my job is going great!” Yosuke smiled.

“Cool about the job; just watch your grades, okay? I don’t want your reputation getting messed up.”

“Psh, like you should be telling me that.” He said. Yosuke faked a yelp and groan of pain.

“Oh! Your words!! They wound me so!” he said, clutching at his heart theatrically. Souji laughed, before it was cut off by an unintended yawn. Yosuke cocked his head.

“Dude, if you’re tired, you can go to bed, y’know?” he said softly. Souji sighed.

“I guess I should, huh?”

“Yeah… hey, talk to ya later?” Yosuke asked hopefully. Souji laughed.

“I’m going to sleep, not Tahiti.” He said. Yosuke glared at his phone playfully.

“Don’t glare at me in that tone, bud.” Yosuke jumped.

“HOW do you people DO that?!” he nearly shouted in frustration and astonishment. Souji laughed.

“I just know you. I’ll talk to you later, Yosuke. Goodnight.” He said softly.

“You too.” He said as he went to hang up the phone.

“And hey…” Yosuke paused and brought the phone back to his ear.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” Yosuke went bright red.

“Y-you too, partner. Night.” He said as he hung up the phone.

       He sighed and put the phone on the bedside table, a content smile playing on his face. It wasn’t long before he grabbed the nearest pillow and buried his face in it, blushing madly. The sound of a door creak and some fabric shuffling instantly dropped his good mood a bit, however. He looked up to see Teddie grinning at him like the cat that had eaten the canary.

“What do you want, bear?” Yosuke grouched, not quite wanting to lose his happy high just yet.

“To help! What else?” Yosuke sat up and sighed.

“Thanks but no thanks, Teddie. I’d rather take my own risks.” Teddie pouted at him.

“But you miss him so much! And I haven’t seen you so bear-y happy in a long time!” Yosuke gave him a quick pop upside the head.

“Didn’t I tell you to cut the bear puns?” Another pout.

“You really are grouchier without him around…” Teddie muttered in exasperation.

“Yeah well…” Teddie looked at him expectantly, waiting for a response. Yosuke sighed in defeat after a short while.

“I guess you’re right. Can’t blame a guy for missing his boyfriend, can ya?”

“No, but I can blame a guy for taking his frustration out on everyone around him!” Yosuke winced at that.

“Have I really gotten that bad?” Teddie nodded, making Yosuke’s expression drop with guilt.

“You just have to be patient and trust him, Yosuke. Sensei wouldn’t leave his lover hanging! Why, I know for a fact that he’s-” Teddie slapped both hands over his mouth to stop himself. Yosuke cocked and eyebrow.

“He’s what, Teddie?” Yosuke asked sweetly. Teddie kept his hands firmly in place and shook his head no quickly. Yosuke’s sweet voice turned dark.

“Tell me, bear.”

“NEVER!” Teddie shouted as he darted off the bed, narrowly avoiding Yosuke’s grip.

“C’mere you!” He shouted, making a lunge for Teddie.

Yosuke failed to catch the bear. He was, however, in need of a new lamp.

\-----

       The next day, Yosuke found himself sitting in class with a goose egg on his forehead and a pounding headache. Chie and Yukiko decided it was best to leave him be, but Yukiko couldn’t help but chuckle every time she glanced at him. Yosuke made a particularly funny face on one occasion when she turned around in class, and she nearly busted out laughing right in the middle of math. The teacher sent them both an icy glare, and they stopped.

‘Man, partner. Things sure are boring without you around…’ he thought while looking out the window. He glanced over at where he’d normally be sitting, and felt a cold, empty feeling settle over him. He hadn’t realized just how right Teddie had been.

‘I really do miss you more than I wanna admit.’ He thought as he folded his arms on his desk and laid his head down.

       About ten minutes into his little power nap, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out discretely, fully expecting it to be Chie with her usual ‘I hate math so much’ texts, but instead he saw a text labeled ‘Help me…’ from Souji. His heart dropped out of fear as he frantically opened the message, only to think he’d seen a ghost. Souji had sent him a picture of his current substitute teacher, since his usual was out on maternity leave.

**Dude, who brought King Moron back from the dead?!**

Yosuke pressed send, trying to desperately suppress laughter.

**I have no clue. I walked in and nearly screamed. He’s not related in any way, apparently.**

**Man, the poor guy.**

**You’re telling me. Hey, this may seem a little sudden, but when are you free next?**

Yosuke looked at the screen, trying to suppress a little smile.

**This weekend. Why?**

**Well…**

**“** HANAMURA YOSUKE!”

“Y-yes ma’am?” Yosuke squeaked as he stood up at full attention, phone hidden under his desk.

“Put your phone away right now! If I so much as catch a glimpse of it again, you’re going to detention. Is that clear?!”

“Yes ma’am!” Yosuke said, frantically typing out a quick explanation under his desk.

‘At least he knows why I’m hanging up so quick.’ He thought.

\-----

‘What the flying fuck does this mean?’ Souji thought as he looked at the text he received, trying not to laugh.

**Cough. phant mall, touch mass later**

\-----

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT’S WHAT I WOUND UP TYPING!!” Yosuke shouted in frustration at lunch. The rest of the group was in stitches over the botched explanation that Souji had received.

“Hey, at least we know Souji-senpai has a good sense of humor!” Kanji tried, hoping to ease Yosuke’s embarrassment. Yosuke sighed.

“Damn you, autocorrect.” Yukiko just laughed harder.

“Here, maybe you should try to tell him what’s actually going on.” Chie said with a snicker. Yosuke snatched his phone back and looked at the screen in embarrassment.

**Dude, I am SO sorry about what happened. The teacher had caught me texting and I was trying to tell you I’d talk to you later.**

A few moments passed, and he received a reply.

**What? I don’t get to MASSively touch some ass during the weekend? ;)**

The undignified squawk that left Yosuke’s lips made everyone crowd over his shoulders to see the reaction, and soon they were all in stitches again. Yosuke blushed furiously as he pounded out a reply.

**I hate you sometimes, you know that?!**

**Love you too, Yosuke. <3**

**KNOCK IT OFF!!!**

**You’re bright red right now, aren’t you?**

**Fuck you**

**I’ll take that as a yes. But seriously, is it cool if I come this weekend? I managed to get some time off and get a weekend without homework…**

Yosuke felt a grin sneak its way onto his face.

**Yes, you moron. I can’t wait to see you. Should I meet you at the station tomorrow?**

**Yeah. I should be there around 3:30. Meet at the usual bench?**

**It’s a date!**

Yosuke smiled as he shut his phone. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw everyone grinning at him.

“What? What’s with all the grins?”

“Yosuke-senpai is blushing! Did he tell you to meet him at a love hotel?” Kanji teased as he gave his shoulder a nudge. Yosuke went red again and tackled Kanji to the ground, pulling on his cheeks. It took both Chie and Yukiko to haul him off, but not before Kanji had managed to jab the knot on Yosuke’s head and cause him a massive jolt of pain.

“Man, just for that, I might not help with Souji-senpai’s-!” he shouted in anger, but quickly stopped when both the girls shot him a deadly glare.

“What?! What about Souji?! GUYS!!”

Yosuke spent the rest of his lunch break chasing his friends around, but learned nothing.

\-----

       Yosuke glanced around the station, waiting to catch sight of Souji. It was 3:30, just like he’d said, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He heaved a frustrated sigh and plopped down on the bench behind him. What he wasn’t expecting was Kanji to sit down beside him. Yosuke looked at him, confused.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, genuinely confused. Kanji blushed a little bit and reached into his pocket. After a bit of rustling, Yosuke was looking at a red and gold paper crane with the words ‘open’ and ‘me’ written on one wing each.

“Um… Souji-senpai said to give this to ya. I don’t know what he’s playing at, but he gave me this and told me to meet ya here.” Yosuke took the little crane, noticing something.

“When did he give this to you?” he asked, recognizing the paper right away.

“Today, why?”

“How did he even…? Ah, never mind. What’s that crazy guy up to?” he asked himself as he undid the crane carefully to find directions to follow. Kanji cocked his head.

“What’s it say?”

“To find him at the front of the school…” Kanji shrugged.

“I dunno man. But whatever he’s got planned, you know it’s gonna be big.” Yosuke smirked.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t blow up in his face, though.” He said as he got up. Kanji stood as well and gave him a little smirk.

“Good luck, senpai.”

“Thanks. And… sorry about, y’know, being a dick. I guess I didn’t wanna admit how much I missed him.” Yosuke said sheepishly.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, senpai. I get the same way with Naoto, remember?” Yosuke grinned.

“Yeah. Well, I’m off!”

“Go get him, senpai!” Kanji said as they parted ways.

\-----

       It didn’t take long before Yosuke found himself at the school. Using Kanji’s secret passage, he was able to make it onto the grounds and to the front of the school. He wandered around for a little while, before he saw Chie sitting down on a front step. Yosuke chuckled a little at the frustrated look on her face. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

“There you are! It took you long enough. Did you walk backwards or something?!” Yosuke laughed.

“Nah. I was just noticing how creepy this place is when it’s closed.” He said in a creepy voice, wiggling his fingers a little bit for effect. Chie shuddered and punched him in the shoulder, earning her a satisfying yelp.

“W-will you knock it off and take this stupid crane already?!” she grouched as she held the little paper bird in front of his face. Yosuke took the crane, sighing a bit when he saw that it had the same message inscribed on its wings. He opened it and cocked his head in confusion.

“It says to find him in at Junes.” He said. Chie shrugged.

“What is he up to, anyways?” she asked, just as confused as Yosuke. Yosuke sighed.

“If I knew, I’d tell ya. But this is one weird way to greet someone after not seeing them for a while.” Chie giggled.

“He’s probably got something really romantic planned! Lucky.” Yosuke blushed.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see ya around! And, um… thanks for helping him out. I’ve got no clue what he’s up to, but thanks for helping him.” Chie chuckled.

“Yup!”

\-----

“Thank you bear-y much! Come again!” Teddie said as he bid a customer farewell. He looked around for his target, before finally catching a whiff of him. Teddie went bounding over Yosuke, paper crane in paw, calling out to him excitedly.

“Yosuke!!”

“Let me guess, another crane?” Teddie stopped just short of glomping him and looked at him in amazement.

“Yeah, how’d you know?!”

“Just a stab in the dark. Hey, have you seen Souji anywhere?” Teddie frowned.

“Well, I have, but I’m not allowed to tell where. He doesn’t wanna ruin the surprise.” He said as he traced patterns in the dirt with his paw. Yosuke sighed.

“Man, this is starting to worry me. Seriously, it’s almost sunset!” he said while looking at the sky.

“Well, anyways… thanks for humoring him. I’m really freakin’ confused as to why he’s leading me around like this.” He said as he took the crane, eyebrow twitching at the familiar message on its wings.

“Don’t worry, Yosuke! I’m sure it’ll be bear-ific whatever it is!” Yosuke snatched Teddie’s ear.

“You’re lucky there’s kids watching, otherwise I’d yank your head off and smack you upside your real head!” he said menacingly in a low voice. Teddie gulped.

“Uuuuh-OH MY WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME! Sorry Yosuke, but my shift is back on! Have fun on your date!!” he shouted over his shoulder as he darted away from Yosuke. Yosuke couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Alright, you moron. You’d better have something spectacular waiting for me at the river bank.’ He thought as he made his way there.

\-----

       Yosuke looked back down at the note as he walked along the Samegawa Flood Plain. It had said to go to their ‘bonding spot’, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. The breeze blew past, rustling his hair softly as he continued on. The sun was nearly down now, and Yosuke was honestly starting to get worried.

“C’mon, you idiot. Just what are you getting at?” he muttered under his breath. He was nearly to the right spot, but he noticed something off. Particularly several glowing lanterns around it. Yosuke cocked his head and approached cautiously, especially when he noticed someone sitting there on a blanket. He inched forward, not sure how to approach, but the figure turned and spoke in an all-too-familiar voice.

“Yosuke? Took you a while. I guess I spread the points out a little too far, huh?” Yosuke’s trepidation immediately gave way to joy as he lunged forward and tackled Yosuke. After a brief bout of tussling, the pair settled down.

“Yeah, you did! What was that wild goose chase about anyways?! And where’d all this come from?” Yosuke said as he helped Souji fix the blanket.

“Well, the original idea was to lead you hear as the sun was setting so we could catch up and lay together like we used to. But I forgot you like to walk slowly. And Yukiko, Naoto, and Rise helped me set up the lanterns.” He said with a playful nudge. Yosuke stuck his tongue out at him, trying as hard as he could to hide the blush on his cheeks.

“Ah, bite me! I’m here, right?” Souji gave him a soft smile and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“And I couldn’t ask for more.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to his temple. Yosuke blushed furiously and buried his face in the crook of his shoulder.

“Oh! Before I forget…” Souji started as he leaned back to reach into his duffle bag. He pulled out a pair of bento boxes and handed one to Yosuke.

“Sweet! I’m starving!”

“Who said I was done? Close your eyes…” Yosuke sighed and shut his eyes. He heard what sounded like more rustling, and then that familiar crinkle of origami paper.

“Dude, I love you, but if I see one more crane today I’ll flip.”

“Good thing they’re not cranes then. Open your eyes.” He said softly. Yosuke opened his eyes and was met with a bouquet of red origami roses. He couldn’t help but chuckle a little, and genuinely smiled for what felt like the first time in ages as he took them.

“Dude, these are beautiful. I’m gonna guess you made them?” he asked as he looked at them, being sure to cradle them gently. Souji smirked.

“Yeah. I figured I should give you something nice after putting you through that.” Yosuke laughed.

“Hey, partner. It was way more creative than anything I’d have come up with, I’ll give you that.” Souji smirked.

“I don’t know… you trying to send me a giant cat plushie was pretty damn funny.”

“How was I supposed to know they’d grill you like you’d bought a pound of drugs when you signed for it?!” Both couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of that little incident.

“I missed you, Yosuke.” Souji said softly. Yosuke set the bouquet down carefully and looked him in the eye.

“Me too. I didn’t wanna admit it, but I think I may have missed you more than both of us put together.” He muttered towards the end, ducking his head down sheepishly. Souji grinned and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“This might sound terrible, but same here. Now let’s eat before the food goes cold.” He said, a blush of his own tinting his cheeks. Yosuke smirked and pulled away.

“Yeah. Because if there’s one thing I missed more than you, it was your cooking!” he said happily as he opened the box to find his favorite meal.

The pair ate and caught up as the lanterns swayed in the soft breeze. And for the first time in a long while, both felt at ease again.

**Author's Note:**

> Damn you, autocorrect.


End file.
